Blog #5: Seeing queerly

"Poetry is truth in its Sunday clothes."-Joseph Roux

This week, I chose to take a closer look at 20 Writers of Color Share Their Favorite Poems. This article highlights the favorite poems of 20 diverse young writers of color and the stories behind their selections. 

Here are two pieces that really stuck out for me 😁

Ain't I a Woman by Kai Davis

I found this poem after watching Porsha Olayiwola's poem "Trigger".<<another good poem about sexuality, gender and race

I loved this poem; I found it powerful and enthralling.

 I love how she spoke about identifying with groups while still feeling silenced and unacknowledged because of her intersectionallity.

The Moon is Trans by: Joshua Jennifer Espinoza

The moon is trans.

From this moment forward, the moon is trans.

You don’t get to write about the moon anymore unless you respect that.

You don’t get to talk to the moon anymore unless you use her correct pronouns.

You don’t get to send men to the moon anymore unless their job is

to bow down before her and apologize for the sins of the earth.

She is waiting for you, pulling at you softly,

telling you to shut the fuck up already please.

Scientists theorize the moon was once a part of the earth

that broke off when another planet struck it.

Eve came from Adam’s rib.

Etc.

Do you believe in the power of not listening

to the inside of your own head?

I believe in the power of you not listening

to the inside of your own head.

This is all upside down.

We should be talking about the ways that blood

is similar to the part of outer space between the earth and the moon

but we’re busy drawing it instead.

The moon is often described as dead, though she is very much alive.

The moon has not known the feeling of not wanting to be dead

for any extended period of time

in all of her existence, but

she is not delicate and she is not weak.

She is constantly moving away from you the only way she can.

She never turns her face from you because of what you might do.

She will outlive everything you know.

****

To me, this poem is about the being trans and the ignorance people have about the experiences of trans people. I feel like this poem is meant to help others understand the struggles of trans people living in a world where they don't fit in.

“In a cultural moment when trans narratives are only invited to the table when we are inspirational and resilient, ­­Joshua Jennifer Espinoza creates a space for us to be trans and angry, trans and sad, trans and hurt. I think her work is so politically important ­­ this poem in particular is striking to me with how unapologetic it is, with how powerful the vision is of a world where transness is just accepted simply for being, not just for doing.”

-Alok Vaid­ Menon from 20 Young Writers Of Color Share Their Favorite Poems